


And we got older

by altairattorney



Category: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Genre: Gen, Post main quest, Post-Game, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-07
Updated: 2012-10-07
Packaged: 2017-11-15 20:36:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/531426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/altairattorney/pseuds/altairattorney
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every winter, sooner or later, he has to ride to the front door.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And we got older

Though he sees it is for the best, Faramir never asked for this future.  
  
If well-deserved, the honorable life he has earned has no direction. No traces are there to guide him today, when he is no longer used to freedom. If he became something in the eyes of someone, if he could mean anything in the life of a friend, it was just for the purpose he chased.  
  
Travelling – or rather dragging himself around, town after town, county after county – is not of much help. Still, if he pays attention to his steps, he realises he always ends up in Bruma, where his memories lie frozen and the air feels colder every year.  
  
Faramir faces the city gates, breathing quietly. Moments later, his steed leads him away.  
  
He cannot keep far from Cloud Ruler's Temple for long. He is well aware he sadness of that place will never do him any good. But the voices, the sound of hooves on the ground, the clinging of armour and swords – they all mingle in a song, a call, which beckons to him and offers him a fragment of the past.

He tries to forget, to deceive himself. He fails. Every winter, sooner or later, he has to ride to the front door.  
  
The wooden smell of the halls is new every time. In the vast corridors, following his pace, the Blades greet him with a nod, full of the understanding brothers and sisters have. In every direction he looks at, Faramir meets melancholic glances, which he answers with a sad smile. They need sympathy, much more than he does.  
  
Jauffre insists on burying himself in parchment and books. Despite his efforts, the Blades are never busy as they would like to be. Not in these times, not after these events.  
  
Come to help, hopelessly forced to idleness, he tries to rest. Like that, he ends up melting away whole winters with Baurus, near a fireplace that is barely enough to warm up their discomfort. In his company, the evenings slip away fast - he is a blessing to him.  Faramir talks and talks, telling the same adventures in new ways. When he has friendly ears by his side, they are all he needs.  
  
There are times, however, when a long silence falls between them. They don't need to tell each other what they are thinking of; they know it is the same thing. Faramir swallows in pain.  
  
This place has just too much of him. Too many questions his mind screamed, too many words his sealed lips never spoke. The ones who could help, who could make these warriors' efforts valuable and useful through their wisdom, are no longer in this world.  
  
And the things left unsaid still linger in the warmth, forever left without an answer.  
  
The two men turn to the centre of the hall, meeting the same sight. An empty chair near an abandoned desk, with a pile of worn books now completely untouched.  
It is the usual sight, unchanged for years – but from there, all around, the emptiness grows worse.  
  
There is nothing to add. They lower their heads, and keep growing older.

**Author's Note:**

> A quick one-shot to express my feelings about the ending. I completed the main quest about two months ago, but the emotion is still strong in me, and I don't want to forget how it feels.  
> Sometimes I still ride to Cloud Ruler Temple to meet Jauffre and Baurus.  
> The accompanying track is by Jim Guthrie.


End file.
